


One hell of a day

by BooksandKpop



Series: Soft Fics 9: Every SF9 Pairing (OT2) [2]
Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: AU, Gen, It's Soft, Platonic Relationship, i didn't proof read this at all, they get locked in a shopping mall, they're like brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 08:12:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13830087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooksandKpop/pseuds/BooksandKpop
Summary: "Yes, I'm aware it's locked - because it won't open. But my point is that we're still here and we need to get out."- Kim Inseong (2018)aka Inseong and Chani get locked in a shopping mall





	One hell of a day

**Author's Note:**

> For Alex who gave me this prompt when I was bored because of a snow day. I'm sorry it's bad...I hope you still like it though! [This](http://fantasy9nation.tumblr.com/post/169462895809/sf9official-twitter-update-with-chani-inseong) picture was used as a reference point just fyi.

"Make sure he's back home no later than ten pm Inseong, you know how much his mother worries!" 

"Yes, she worries almost as much as you do Seokwoo. We're not going to be anywhere near that late anyway, Chani just needs to get a few things and we'll come straight back."

"That doesn't sound like much of an outing. You should at least buy him lunch or something while you're there!"

"I was hardly going to starve the kid now was I? If he gets hungry we'll get snacks alright?"

"Snacks are not healthy hyung, he is a growing teenager he needs proper meals!"

"Oh my g- BYE SEOKWOO I'LL SEE YOU LATER."

Inseong grabbed his jacket and made his way out of the apartment hastily while ignoring any further comments from his overprotective (younger) flatmate. He fussed too much over everyone even the ones in their friend circle who were older than him, Inseong included. It would be cute if he wasn't a giant overbearing ball of motherly affection ALL of the time. Someday Inseong swore he would get him to consume enough alcohol to get him to loosen up a little. Until such a time though they would all just deal with it. Honestly, it wasn't that bad, but occasionally it could be a bit much. 

He reached the bottom of the stairs and after checking he had everything he needed (keys, wallet, phone, face mask, hat) he headed out front to look for the younger boy he was meant to be meeting. The messy blonde hair uncovered by hat or hood was a dead giveaway. Chani had been a shade of orange for a while thanks to a bet with Dawon, but it had faded over the winter and with a bit of bleach it was now a pale straw colour. It suited him, not that Inseong would ever admit as much. The kid was the youngest in their group of friends, a whole 7 years younger than Inseong and Youngbin. It was weird at first but he fit no problem, and really he was quite mature for his age so there was never much of a problem. He knew of other groups with smaller age differences and yet their youngest were like actual children. So he counted his blessings and went over to meet the younger.

"Now what would your mother say if she saw you sitting outside in the middle of winter without so much as a hat on your head?"

"Seokwoo hyung would probably drag me to the nearest shop and force me to buy several extra layers of clothing and then force feed me honey lemon tea in case I caught a cold."

"Correct, so let's get away from here before he comes down to check on you."

Chani smiled at that and the pair made their way towards Inseong's car parked on the street. He was bringing the younger boy to the large shopping mall next town over because he had some things to get which were not available in their small local market. Usually Seokwoo or Youngbin would be the ones bringing him on the trip being the unofficial parents of the group and all that, but Seokwoo's car was with a mechanic and Youngbin and Juho were out of town at a freestyle rap competition. Chani and Youngkyun had kicked up a fuss over not getting to go, but they were minors and wouldn't have been allowed to compete anyway. So that left Inseong as the only one with both a car and a license, Sanghyuk having the latter but not the former. Thus, it was the oldest and youngest on a roadtrip.

What could go wrong.

Almost two hours later Chani regretted suggesting turning on the radio and Inseong was regretting not bringing snacks. They had been stuck in motorway traffic for over half the journey and having come to a complete standstill it was getting ridiculous. The worst part was, theirs was the next exit and the cause of the holdups. Inseong's voice was going hoarse from the impromptu karaoke and he decided it would be best for his health to stop singing, much to Chani's relief. It didn't stop him from dancing though, and that was almost worse for the younger boy. 

Eventually, they reached their destination after a 450% longer journey than was actually predicted. Deciding the first port of call should be eating the pair made a beeline for the centre of the mall where the food court was located. It took ten minutes of debating and a game of rock-paper-scissors before the noodle place was their chosen destination. The prices were extortionate but Inseong was so hungry he couldn't be overly bothered. They ate their food in record time, washing it down with fizzy drinks that Seokwoo would surely scold Inseong for buying in the first place. Sated, they planned out the best way to visit the stores Chani needed to go to and then set off. The younger boy didn't really mind going shopping with Inseong despite his tendency to sing along to every song he heard, the older could be focused and speedy when he wanted to be. Unlike the others who might have ended up bringing him; Seokwoo would have him in every shop he saw to try on clothes he had no interest in, Youngbin would continuously get distracted by shiny things in windows or cute kids, Juho would lose him and Sanghyuk - that was a disaster waiting to happen. So despite the tedious traffic on their way up, he was here now, full and with a plan in mind.

What else could go wrong?

It seemed like everyone in the country had decided to come shopping here today, which Inseong supposed might explain the tailbacks they had been caught in on their way to the mall. But when they had been shopping for two and a half hours and were only in shop number three of seven because of queues and stock issues they were both starting to lose patience. When they finally escaped from the retail hell it was an unspoken agreement to sit down for a few minutes and reevaluate. 

"Ok so we still have four more shops to get through and the mall closes in a little under an hour. What's your call?"

"I want to go home hyung, but we drove all the way here in that stupid traffic and I'll be damned if I'm leaving without everything I need."

"Right, so game plan then. Of the stores left which are most important?"

"Probably just the craft store. Theirs is the only real specialised stuff I need to get. The other three I can get imitations in the market or maybe even order online, but the stuff from Sensational Feeling has to come from there."

"So let's hit up this shop, grab snacks for the way back and then bail, sound good?"

Chani noded with as much enthusiasm as he could muster and dragged himself to his feet again. Another reason why Inseong was the best to bring shopping, he had logic. They found a store locator map and searched for the shop that the younger needed to visit. But after five minutes and several exclamations of 'are you sure I'm not blind?' they still couldn't find it. Consulting the shops online page only gave that it was on the fifth floor of the mall, which was as good a place to start as any. They squeezed themselves into an elevator only to find it only went as high as the fourth floor, and so got out again and searched for stairs which might lead them up. 

"Now we are 100% certain the website said the fifth floor right?"

"Yes hyung I triple checked, and it's not here on 4 so there must be stairs somewhere!"

This whole excursion was getting ridiculous, they were both tired and cranky and if Chani had been any more immature he may have wanted to throw a tantrum. But he was above that, so he settled for huffing and cursing under his breath. Usually Inseong would have scolded him for such, but he was this close to cursing this whole mall to hell and back nice and loud. They were going to give up when they saw a door open seemingly out of nowhere and an employee of sorts walked out. Rushing over before it could disappear on them again they pushed it open and to their delight discovered stairs leading upwards. With a whoop of delight, they hastily made their way upwards acutely aware of the fact the mall closed in ten minutes. 

Emerging through a door at the top the store they had been searching for sat right in front of them. Almost crying Inseong pushed Chani in its direction and stumbled afterwards. The employee behind the desk was more than a little startled when they burst in, but was extremely accommodating and helped them get everything rung up in no time at all. Once they had all of Chani's supplies securely packed in bags they thanked the young girl profusely before exiting. The shutters came down immediately behind them, signalling the shop was now closed. Inseong burst into exhausted manic laughter. What a day, but at least they were finally done and could head home. They pushed back through the door they came in and made their way down the stairs, completely drained from the entire day's events. Inseong couldn't wait to get home and have a warm bath and catch up on his dramas, while Chani was planning on a big bowl of instant ramen and a ten-hour nap.

But it seemed like the world had something out for them that day.

When they got to the bottom of the stairs they decided to head out onto the fourth floor and take the lift down to the ground, neither of them were in any mood to take another four flights of stairs and then the walk to the car. But the exit refused to open when they pushed against it. Inseong's first instinct was to try pulling, but there were no handles on their side of the door which meant it wasn't possible. After another few determined pushes and a quick scan of the walls for a release button of sorts, it became clear they were not getting through that door. Which meant the descent down more stairs. They both sighed in unison and begrudgingly started to climb downwards. On the off chance that the fourth floor was just weird, they tried the exit of the stairwell when they reached the third floor which was equally as unmoving. Then out of stubbornness, they tried the doors on the second and first floors too to the same end.

"Did you know that someone once said ' Trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of madness'?"

"Oh yeah, who was it hyung?"

"Dunno, someone famous probably."

Neither of the two was in any mood for much conversation, it had been a gruelling day. After what seemed like the longest flight of stairs yet they reached a landing on the ground floor and made their way to the door. Before Inseong could move to push on it, Chani stopped him to ask a question.

"What do we do if this one won't open hyung? I don't want to be trapped in a shopping mall stairwell overnight."

For the very first time Inseong saw his friends age show through. He didn't sound like his usual confident self and it broke the older boys heart a little. It was his job as the hyung to keep Chani safe, and that meant having to provide comfort in this situation.

"If it doesn't open we'll look up the number for the helpline and call them, and they'll send someone to let us out. No big deal."

Chani nodded meekly, he looked absolutely exhausted and Inseong couldn't blame the kid. It had been one hell of a tiring day to not even be leaving with everything they came for. With a determined set in his shoulders, Inseong strode up to the door and pushed against it. But of course, like the four levels of doors before them, it refused to open. This time he did curse out loud, something he learned during his time in London which was reserved for situations specifically like this one. Turning around, Chani looked defeated and Inseong was ready to fight someone for causing it. 

He motioned for Chani to sit on the concrete steps while he called the number he found on the mall website. The younger boy was about to collapse. They didn't even have any snacks to give him a sugar boost. After seven rings someone finally picked up on the other end. 

"Hi there, myself and my friend are currently in the stairwell of the FNC shopping mall on the first floor and the exit door into the mall won't open. Can you send someone to open it please?"

"Yes, I'm aware it's locked - because it won't open. But my point is that we're still here and we need to get out."

"Well no that's not exactly good enough, you need to send someone over to open the door now. Surely there's mall security in the area."

"You do realise it's after 9 pm in the middle of one of the coldest January's in the country's recent history yes? And do you also realise there is no heating in these concrete stairwells? So no we will not just sit here and wait for you to request for someone to clear unlocking the doors. Send someone now or I swear-"

"Oh why thank you ever so much that's very helpful yes, not like I suggested that already or anything."

"Five minutes? Fine, but I'll have you know I'm going to time it and find a way to charge you for every second over that the door stays closed. Clear enough for you?"

After that Inseong hung up and let out a frustrated yell, but his voice cracked from exhaustion which made it more of a frustrated whisper. Chani looked up blearily having only been half listening to the phone conversation going on. The older boy went over and sat beside him on the stairs, pulling him into his chest and wrapping arms around him in an attempt to keep the boy a little warmer. They sat in silence for the next few minutes until the sound of an engine came from the other side of the door, followed by clinking keys and finally it opened. Inseong did his best to pull Chani up and gather their bags as they made their way towards the exit. The security guard standing there was shorter than them both and seemed quite young, a part-time job Inseong guessed. He was extremely apologetic and offered to bring them both back to the guard station to make them tea. But on Chani's insistence, they refused and instead just took him up on his offer of a lift out to their car in the little golf buggy he had. 

It had started to snow by the time they reached the car in the furthest car park from the shopping mall, and the guard apologised profusely over and over until they finally waved him off and he headed back towards the mall. Inseong was half tempted to call for a taxi to take them home but he knew he would have to come back for his car the next morning and it wouldn't be worth it. They put their bags in the back seats of Inseong's car but before the older boy could go to get into the driver's seat Chani put a hand on his arm.

"Thanks for coming with me today hyung, although I'm sorry it turned into such a mess."

His voice was softer than Inseong had heard before, and it made his heart swell a little. He pulled the younger boy into a hug and sighed, it really had turned into one mess of a day.

"It's alright Chani you don't need to apologise, I'm sorry I couldn't do more when we were trapped in there."

"You did enough hyung, thank you."

They pulled apart just as the snow stopped falling, leaving the car park completely silent around them and covered in a faint blanket of white. It was so peaceful and felt almost healing after the whole ordeal they had been through. Inseong closed his eyes, took in a deep breath of the bitter air and did his best to let all the tension and tiredness roll off him. He still had to drive them both home safely, and Seokwoo was going to kill him for being late. Although under the circumstances he would probably understand. He felt a hand tug his arm and he opened his eyes to see Chani standing with his phone in hand. 

"I texted my mom and told her I would be late, and she said to just stay with you guys since I don't have a key. Is that okay?"

"Of course Chani, you know there's always space for you to stay with us. And Seokwoo will be happy to have you to fuss over anyway, I'm surprised he hasn't called yet."

Chani laughed quietly at that, but Inseong could tell there was still something else he wanted to say. Nudging him gently he nodded and the younger boy smiled.

"Can we take a photo together hyung? It's the first snow of the year and I want to remember today even if it was a disaster."

Inseong didn't respond in words and just pulled him in closer so they could both fit into the frame. Chani only took one photo but he seemed satisfied. Thanking Inseong again they finally got into the car, which had warmed up nicely since Inseong had started the engine running. Not fifteen minutes into their drive home and Chani had fallen asleep against the window of the car, finally giving into the exhaustion. He looked so young and peaceful with his hair ruffled and cheeks squished against his hand, it was cute and Inseong found himself cooing slightly. A short while later they pulled up to Inseong's apartment, and regretfully he had to wake the younger boy up. Between them, they carried in their bags and Chani headed straight for Inseong's room after shucking off his shoes. Taking a minute to set the bags aside and tidy up the shoes at the door, Inseong crept into the living room to see if Seokwoo was sitting up waiting for them. Instead, he found him sound asleep on the couch with a fluffy-haired Taeyang in his grasp and it took every ounce of self-control not to squeal out loud. Snapping a photo as evidence, he threw a blanket over the pair of them and made his way to his own room. 

Chani was passed out face down on the bed with his outdoor jacket still on. Inseong sighed softly and maneouvered the younger boy out of his outer wear and into one of his own large sweaters before tucking him in. He was exhausted himself but he had a strict skincare routine he would never forgo. Not even at quarter past eleven at night after the most tiring day in all his 25 years. Eventually though, he settled into bed beside Chani who was completely out for the count and smiled. 

It may have been one hell of a day, but it definitely brought him closer to the younger boy and that was the silver lining in the clouds of the first snow.


End file.
